Election ballot and tally-sheet.



LT. & w. n. BARTON.

ELECTION BALLOT AND'TALLY SHEET.- APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2. I914.

Patented June 20, 1916.

' 2 SHETS-SHEET l- FRIMARY, BALLOT D E MOCRATIC PARTY ton UNITED STATESSENATOR FOR STATE VOTE FOR ONE 6 I I I f j 9 L OFFICE NAME 1 2 3 4 5 62233 34 mm.

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ELECTION BALLOT AND TALLY SHEET.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2, 1914.

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Patented June 20; 1916.

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.NAM ES OF PERSONS VOTED TRU TEES VOTE FOR ONE TWO 0R VOTES 5 SPLIT Urnsr JOSEPH T. BARTON AND WILLIAM R. BARTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO MICHAEL MGGARRY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ELECTION BALLOT AND TALLY-SI-IEET.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 11119 20, 191 6.

Application filed November 2 1914 Serial No; 869,786.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Josnrrr T. BARTON and VILLIAM R. BARTON, bothcitizens of the United States, and residents of Chicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Election-Ballots and Tally- Sheets, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved election ballot and tally sheetdesigned to secure greater expedition and accuracy in the counting andregistering of election ballots. Under the ballot counting andregistering system generally in vogue at the present time throughout theUnited States, the judges and clerks of election are provided with tallysheets on which are printed at the left hand side of the sheet in avertical column the names of the candidates appearing on the ballot,with ruled lines extending from beneath each candidates name crosswiseof the sheet. These sheets are frequently of'considerable size, and theruled lines pertaining to each candidates name and extending across thesheet are of considerable length. As the person or persons examining theballots call out the names of candidates marked by the voters on saidballots, the tally clerks enter straight marks, usually in groups offive, one after another, on these lines that extend opposite therespective names of the candidates. Where such tally marks have beenstrung along for a considerable distance to the right of the candidatesnames, there is a considerable chance of error on the part of the tallyclerk in entering the tally marks on the wrong line, that is, on alineeither above or below that on which the marks should be entered,andthis danger of error increases the more remote the markings are madefrom the names. Furthermore, in cities and towns having a considerableelement of foreign population, names diflicult of pronunciationfrequently appear on the ballot and cause some difficulty and liabilityof error in transmission from the reading clerk to the tally clerks.Again, ballots not infrequently contain names of candidates so similarasto cause liability of error in registration on the tally sheet.Moreover, and especially in primary elections the list of candidates forany one oflice isfrequently a long one, and as the votes are read thetally clerks often names.

have to skip from near the head to near the foot of such long lists ofnames on the tally sheet, which still further increases the liability oferror in the recording of the votes on thetally sheet.

It has been with a View to eliminating the inconveniences and chances ofmistakes hereinabove pointed out, and facilitating and expediting thecounting and registering of the votes that the present invention hasbeen devised. The invention is equallv applicable'in principle toprimary, special, and regular elections, and includesas its chiefdistinguishing and essential characteristic, the

employment in association with the candidates names on the ballot ofbrief symbols,

such as numerals, preferably printed immediately before or after thecandidates names, and a tally sheet wherein these same identifyingsymbols are printed at intervals crosswise of the sheet in thetally-marking spaces opposite the respective candidates Theseidentifying symbols may appear opposite the names of the candidates onthe tally sheet alone to advantage and within the purview of theinvention; but preferably they also appear upon the ballot as abovedescribed. I

In the accompanying drawing we have illustrated a practical embodimentof the invention in which,-

Figure 1 is a plan view of a primary ballot, broken out between itsends; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a tally sheet, broken out lengthwise andcrosswise, for the primary ballot shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan viewof a regular election ballot, broken out lengthwise and crosswise; Fig.4: is a plan view of a tally sheet, brokenout lengthwise and crosswise,for the regular election ballot of Fig. 8.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, A designates as an entirety a partyprimary ballot, and B designates as an entirety the tally sheet for theparty primary ballot shown in Fig. 1. The primary ballot A is in theusual form of a primary ballot, containing groups of ruled lines aarranged in a vertical column for the names of the candidates to bevoted for under each group, and the usual squares b at the left of eachcandidates name to receive the cross mark of voters. Opposite eachcandidates name, either before or after the name, is printed anidentifying numeral, as shown, WhlCh is preferably set oil in a smallsquare 0; these numerals being preferably used in numerical order fromthe top to the bottom of the column of names.

The tally sheet B is in the usual. form of a primary tally sheet,containing at the left a. column 0 designating the various of ficesvoted for, a column f containing ruled lines a/ on which appear the samelists of candidates that appear on the ballot, and at the right of thesheet columns 9 and h in which are recorded the totals and grand totalsof the votes cast for the respective candidates.

At the right of the column f opposite and following the names of therespective candidates appear the same identifying numerals, 1, 2, 3, 4-,etc., that appear opposite the names of the candidates on the ballot;these numerals also being preferably set out in squares c; and the samenumeral invariably identifying the same candidate on both the ballot andthe tally sheet.

Lines a directly beneath the candidates names are extended crosswise ofthe sheet in parallel relation; and these lines are intersected byuniformly spaced vertical lines, thereby forming, opposite eachcandidates name, a horizontal row of squares in which the tally marksare entered. In each one of these tally spaces is printed the sameidentifying numeral that appears in the vertical columnsof identif-yingnumerals directly opposite a candidates name; these repeated numeralsbeing preferably set off by division lines atone end or in one corner ofthe rectangular space in which the tally marks are entered to avoid anypossible confusion with the latter. At the head of the several verticalcolumns of tally spaces are numerals 1, 2, 3, l, etc., in. regularnumerical order, so that by multiplying the numeral at the head of acolumn by the number of votes recorded in any completely filled tallyspace therebeneath, the total number of votes up to that point isobtainable.

The regular election ballot C and tally sheet D, shown in Figs. 3 ands,illustrate the application of the principle of our invention to a legalform of regular election ballot and tally sheet equipment. The ballot Gcontains, of course, parallel columns of candidates of the variousparties for the several oiiicers to be voted for, each column beingheaded by the usual straight ticket circle Z, and having the usualsquares m in front of the names of the respective candidates whichappear on the lines n. Opposite the name of each candidate on each ofthe several party tickets is an identifying numeral preferably set offin a square 0, as shown. These numerals preferably are arranged innumerical. order crosswise of the ballot, so that all the candidatesfora will be apparent.

given oflice on the several tickets will form a group, the identifyingnumerals of which will run in order and sequence. Where there are, sayfive candidates for a single office on the five tickets represented onthe ballot, the tally sheet D will have printed thereon the names of thelive candidates in successive order reading from the left to the rightof the ballot, such names being printed in a vertical column f oppositean oflice-design'ating column 0, and in groups each of which containsthe names of all the party candidates for a given ofiice. Opposite thenames of the candidates on the tally sheet are printed, preferably insquares of the same identifying numerals that are used to identify thecandidates on the ballot. A general election tally sheet, on which isregarded the votes received by candidates of all parties, usuallycontains a vertical column 7) for recording straight ballot votes,another column q for recording split or scratched ballot votes, andanother column 1 for recording the totals. The ruled line. spaceopposite the candidates names is divided by vertical lines intorectangular tally-marking spaces 2', in each of which is printed theidentifying numeral of the candidate whose name appears opposite suchtally space.

From the foregoing the marked advantage of our improvement in preventingerror in the recording of the tally marks When a vote is read off forcandidate No. 10, no matter how far across the tally sheet thepreviously recorded tally marks may have progressed, with the No. 10staring him in the face from the proper space in which the vote shouldbe recorded, there is extremely small chance for the tally clerk torecord the vote in the wrong tally space. In other words, the repeatedidentifying numerals eXtending clear across the Voterecording space ofthe tally sheet form a constant guide to the tally clerk in entering thetally marks, and reduce the liability of error and mistake practicallyto zero.

Gur invention also facilitates the work of recording the vote, since theperson reading the ballots may simply read the identifying numbers ofthe candidates rather than the candidates names themselves. This savestime, especially in the case of names difiicult of pronunciation. Italso reduces liability of error in the case of candidates having like orsimilar names. The invention also facilitates the work of recounting incases of. contests, as well as enabling voters to easily locatecandidates on the ballot for whom they desire to vote by being furnishedin" advance with information as to the numerical positions on the ballotoccupied by such candidates.

Obviously, other symbols than numerals might be used, and the relativearrangement shown and described may be considerably varied withoutinvolving any departure from the principle of our invention orsacrificing any of the benefits and advantages secured thereby. Hence,the invention 1s not to be understood as limited to the precise formsand arrangements herein shown.

lVe claim:

An election ballothaving printed thereon the names of the candidatesand, opposite each name, an identifying numeral, in combination with atally sheet having printed thereon at one side the names of thecandidates, ruled lines extending from beneath JOSEPH T. BARTON. WILLIAMR. BARTON.

Witnesses S. N. POND, A. G. LATIMun.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

